Visa Attempts to Bring Clarity to Prepaid Card Shopping

Square has entered the Japanese market with its mobile card reader and tablet point-of-sale register apps.

The U.S. company has partnered with Sumitomo Mitsui Card Corporation (SMCC) for its Japanese venture. SMCC has been credited with successfully introducing Visa to Japan.

Japan is a market where cash is still the dominate payment method. At the same time, mobile phone penetration in Japan is one of the highest worldwide, making it an attractive market for mobile services such as mobile payments and mobile card acceptance solutions. Products such as Square are expected to lower the barriers for some small businesses, such as convenience stores, to start accepting cards at lower costs.